Build & Review: Dragon #7292 : 1/72 Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn

The Kit

This is a mult-media (plastic & photo-etch) kit from Dragon. I picked it up as part of a bundle deal from someone who was thinning their stash. It’s been sat in my stash for a while until I could think of something to do with it.

The Build

There are a lot of fiddly bits, particularly on the 88. Fortunately, the engineering and fit is excellent so you shouldn’t have too much trouble.

Stick with it though, the flak builds into a lovely piece.

The kit comes with wire spare wheel mounts (thankfully already moulded into the correct shape). Fitting them needs a couple of holes (marked in the instructions) drilling out of the back plate.

There are replacement photoetch side vents, which I’ll admin. Beat me. 🙁

Fortunately the plastic vents in the kit are good enough.

Because there is a visible interior to paint, I split the built into multiple sub assemblies:

This would allow me to prime, base & detail paint the interior before assembling the sides ready for weathering.

The Paint

I started with a mid grey undercoat using UMP (aka Badger) acrylic primer, and then preshaded with tamiya flat black.

I used the Mig early german colors set’s Dunklegelb as a base coat. Fading from the center of panels to the edges.

Details were picked out with a fine brush.

And the interior assembled.

I left the 88 removable so I could weather the interior separately.

Next I attached the armour plated sides.

The fit at some of the corners wasn’t brilliant (my fault, I don’t think I got the side lined up correctly). So I dripped a bit of tamita extra thin down the joins and formed crude weld lines to make it look like an in field repair. There are better pictures of this later.

Next came three easy decals after a gloss coat.

I decided to go for winter camo (top colour callout)

I gave the whole kit another clear coat with Vallejo gloss varnish and then hit the edges of all the panels with some (almost invisible in this picture) liquid mask dabbed on with a sponge. I also dabbed a little bit on the flat panels. This will allow me to chip off large chips of the winter camo coat to reveal the dunkelgelb beneath.

Next, I used Mig’s winter whitewash, applied roughly with a brush. I avoided where the decals were placed.

Once the whitewash had dried a bit, I rubbed the liquid mask off with a dry paper towel and my fingertip.

Next I used black brown on a sponge to lightly chip the edges and raised surfaces.

I was trying to get a three level chipping of the metal (the black brown), the dunkelgelb and the winter cam. I think it came out ok.

I chipped the inside and the wheels with black brown too. I sealed this with another gloss coat once I was happy with it.

Next I mixed up a fairly thick burnt umber oil wash and applied it as a pin wash, trying to avoid the center of panels. While it was still fresh, I used thinners to streak it down the flat sides of the armour.

I did the same to the insides and the wheels.

I continued to play with the oils as they dried until I was happy with it, then sealed the whole thing with a matt varnish. I drybrushed a few raised edges and details with a very soft light grey drybrush and attached the tracks which I undercoated black, drybrushed with gun metal and then washed with brown and rust clay based washes from UMP and it’s ready for its diorama.

I’ve left off the hatches for now as I’m still undecided whether to put figures in…